Family Law Committee
The Family Law Committee was established on 10 June 2013. The Chair of the Committee is Lady Wise.
The Family Law Committee normally meets 4 to 6 times a year. Agendas, papers and minutes of Committee meetings are published here when available.
Remit of the Family Law Committee
The Committee’s remit is concerned with the power to make provision about the practice and procedure to be followed in the Scottish civil courts in relation to family actions and proceedings relating to children.
In relation to the above remit, the Committee has the following functions -
-
to keep the relevant civil rules under review;
-
to consider and make proposals for modification and reform;
-
to require that family actions and proceedings relating to children be dealt with as expeditiously and efficiently as is possible;
-
to review, develop and promote a case management structure for family actions and proceedings relating to children; and
- to report to the Scottish Civil Justice Council with its recommendations and, where applicable, draft rules.
In the exercise of the foregoing functions, the Committee is to take due account of the guiding principles of the Scottish Civil Justice Council -
-
the civil justice system should be fair, accessible and efficient;
-
rules relating to practice and procedure should be as clear and easy to understand as possible;
- practice and procedure should, where appropriate, be similar in all civil courts; and
-
methods of resolving disputes which do not involve the courts should, where appropriate, be promoted.
In addition, in cases involving children, the Committee is to take due account of the need to regard their welfare as the paramount consideration.
Minutes and papers from meetings can be found below